All-New X-Men #9Review

Not that Marvel is wont for great-looking superhero books, but damn, All-New X-Men looks stunning month in and month out. Whether it’s Stuart Immonen or David Marquez, this book will make your eyeballs glaze over with beauty. That’s the case in issue #9 with Immonen’s return to the series, as he renders each character with fine detail and subtle body language, all the while placing them within a canvas that’s ridiculously large in scope.

There are a couple of instances of fading detail as the angles pull further away from the subject of the panel, but in those instances the colors of Marte Gracia and Rain Beredo come to the rescue to keep these panels full of lush visual detail. It’s hard to point to any one standout page in this issue, because honestly, every page is gorgeous.

Brian Bendis’ script is no slouch either, though there are a few beats that ring a little hollow. Namely, Mystique’s plan is apparently to simply get rich, which as far as villain motivation goes, is supremely bland. Also – and this could stem from the fact that I recently reread Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men – but the last page cliffhanger of this issue felt a bit familiar.

Still, issue #9 does more good than not, particularly as it explores the dynamic between the original X-Men and Kitty, who tries to show them the ropes of fighting Sentinels, navigating through a warzone, and controlling their powers. The scene shared between Beast and (original) Angel also goes a long way toward shedding some light on Hank’s original motivations for his little time travel ploy.

It’s lovely to see All-New X-Men take a character-first storytelling approach, particularly when there’s so much plot happening. Bendis has proved that the presence of the original X-Men is far greater than just a sci-fi gimmick; instead, it’s a wonderful new prism with which to analyze the current cast of X-characters.